Soprano

Kelly Cae Hogan fascinates in the role of Senta; with unbelievable vocal power her clear soprano increasingly astounds...

— Schweriner Volkszeitung

Reviews

As Brünnhilde in Der Ring des Nibelungen, Opera North, UK

…her “heilige Götter” (Götterdämmerung) splendidly done, sailing easily over the orchestra, her final high C of the Prologue truly spine-tingling. Hogan was fully in her element and in her voice. Right from the off, her voice was fully open and free. This was a major assumption of the role, culminating in a beautifully variegated “Immolation”. Her voice piercing through the orchestra like a crystal point, she found real beauty in those final stages, the lower part of her voice as she seems to imitate Erda (“Alles Weiss ich”) wonderful; and just as wonderful that she still has that openness of voice for “Fliegt Heim, ihr Raben”. Opera Today (Colin Clarke – July 4, 2016)

Hogan’s Brünnhilde was magnificent throughout the final operas, bright and thrilling in Siegfried, incisive and sympathetic in Götterdämmerung in the role’s many demands, not least in terms of stamina, and crowned by a compelling immolation scene. The Guardian (Martin Kettle – July 4, 2016)

And there was a vocal triumph to be witnessed in the shape of Kelly Cae Hogan’s Brünnhilde, not perhaps as secure in the mid-range singing as Nina Stemme was in the role, but similarly fearless, tireless and full-bodied in alt (and, dare I say it, with a somewhat warmer, clearer, less matronly tone in general). I thought her contribution tonight – and indeed throughout – nigh-on exemplary… Both the cruelly written trio that ends Act II and the Immolation scene found Ms. Hogan in superb voice, and I really have to reach back in my memory (and diaries) to Birgit Nilsson and Rita Hunter, the first two Brünnhildes I ever heard, for an equivalent sense of effortless radiance. Opera Britannia (Stephen Jay-Taylor – July, 2016)

Götterdämmerung belongs to Siegfried and Brünnhilde, and never more so than in the hands of Mati Turi and Kelly Cae Hogan… the result is an ecstatic, heavyweight battle of emotions and voices. Hogan’s legato spins evenly, uniting the sweetness and glow of the top of the voice with the dryer, more brittle bottom. Turi’s homespun, bonhomous hero gives her poised heroine plenty to bounce off, and there’s real poignancy in watching this Brünnhilde try to bridge the gap in the feminine softness of her Act I music. The Arts Desk (Alexandra Coghlan – July 4, 2016)

Kelly Cae Hogan (Siegfried Brünnhilde) justified the wait and fulfilled expectations with her glorious singing. Her soprano is secure, her vibrato non-intrusive yet expressive, and the top of the voice is effortless and radiant. With her regal looks and noble bearing she was as formidable as a goddess-warrior as she now is a vulnerable mortal. Classical Source (Peter Reed – July 1, 2016)

Hogan was magnificent as Brünnhilde (Götterdämmerung) riding the orchestra, incandescent and bewildered by Siegfried’s betrayal, and with volume and fire-power in reserve for a spacious and climactic ‘Immolation’. She has been the cornerstone of this ‘Ring’ cycle, which has had its fair share of unforgettable things. Classical Source (Peter Reed – July 3, 2016)

Both Lee Bisset’s Sieglinde, sung with thrilling abandon and acted with urgent emotional directness, and Kelly Cae Hogan’s youthful and fearless Brünnhilde were a revelation. The Financial Times (London) (Hugo Shirley – June 30, 2016)

(In Die Walküre) we also had our first encounter with Kelly Cae Hogan’s Brünnhilde, which was to dominate the rest of the drama. Hogan is the only singer taking her role through the rest of the cycle, and it’s reasonable to anticipate that her warmth, radiance and security of range and tone, coupled to her command and sympathy, will be the significant factor in forging this ‘Ring’. She combines innocence and grandeur in a way that reminds of another much-treasured Brünnhilde, Anne Evans. Classical Source (Peter Reed – June 29, 2016)

Kelly Cae Hogan’s Brünnhilde awoke to the tenderest string playing to greet the day gloriously. There’s some welcome steel in Hogan’s upper notes, but also genuine warmth to her soprano which gave her Brünnhilde a vulnerable touch..(Siegfried) Bachtrack (Mark Pullinger – July 2, 2016)

Kelly Cae Hogan, a dignified Brünnhilde throughout this Ring, sang tirelessly, in imperious voice for her Immolation Scene. I loved the slightly breathy, smoky quality to her lower register, and her top notes gleamed.(Gotterdammerung) Bachtrack (Mark Pullinger – July 3, 2016)

It is the Brünnhilde of American soprano Kelly Cae Hogan who makes you giddy with her technical brilliance and a formidable sense of her complex and desperate character. What’s On Stage (Mark Valencia – May 31, 2016)

Much was demanded of Kelly Cae Hogan (Brünnhilde) but she held the stage commandingly throughout with no weakening of voice, her high notes ringing rock solid right up to her denouement at the end. Seen and Heard International (John Leeman – May 25, 2016)

As Turandot in Turandot

The Met-experienced American soprano, Kelly Cae Hogan, has enormous vocal power and glistening brilliant high notes in the title role (Turandot). Goettinger Tageblatt (Michael Schaefer – April 1, 2015)

Turandot, Kelly Cae Hogan arrives last on the stage, but here the motto last, but first serves well. With her stage presence, she dominates the action from the beginning of her performance, with her phenomenal combination of vocal power and her ability to differentiate with fragility, a property that contributes greatly to the credibility of her reversal (with Calaf) in the finale. Waldeckische Landeszeitung (Armin Hennig – March 31, 2015)

Kelly Cae Hogan presents herself as a first class Turandot. What this woman has for vocal reserves! With hardly restrained emotional power, she reveals how much the cruel oppressor herself is prisoner of a merciless system. HNA (Werner Fritsch – March 30, 2015)

As Isolde in Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde

Kelly Cae Hogan having a splendid hall-filling voice that figuratively lifted me out of my back row seat when she nailed the high notes lusciously and powerfully… Alaska Dispatch News (Mike Dunham – April 28, 2014)

As Lady Macbeth in Verdi’s Macbeth

Hogan is in sensational form, the voice rich, vibrant and subtly coloured. Her tuneful and nervy Act ll Brindisi sung as previously mentioned, whilst precariously stepping from chair to chair at the banquet, is thrillingly delivered with carefree abandon. The celebrated sleep walking scene encompassing a range from middle C flat to a sustained top D flat is infused with as myriad a spectrum of expressive vocal colouring as one could have reasonably wished. Opera Britannia (Geoffrey Mogridge – February 11, 2014)

Soprano Kelly Cae Hogan is a proper prima donna here, a managerial presence in a navy-blue two-piece with a thrilling voice – and some lovely coloratura twirls. She is excellent when she calls down the powers of darkness to unsex her, and when she is walking with the candle, stricken by horrific memories. Bachtrack (Richard Wilcocks – February 8, 2014)

Mrs. Macbeth, played beautifully by Kelly Cae Hogan, was feisty and most adept at leading her man astray. She willingly lends a hand where necessary and that hand is often to be found wrapped around a dripping dagger. Yorkshire Times (Richard Trinder – February 8, 2014)

As Salome in Salome

Hogan, a soprano, captured the litheness, sensuality and curiosity of a spoiled teen – and the vocal beauty and musicianship to cajole, to storm, to soar mightily over the large orchestra. She has a magnificent voice. Virginian-Pilot (B.J. Atkinson – February 2, 2015)

Kelly Cae Hogan’s effortlessly soaring soprano (and her) take on perhaps the craziest princess in opera has a way of reverberating in the mind long after you’ve left the theater. Richmond Times-Dispatch (Roy Proctor – February 7, 2015)

Kelly Cae Hogan’s powerful soprano in the title role is the tastiest treat…soaring high over a loud orchestra, Hogan’s Salome is a vocal triumph. The Oregonian (Mark Mandel – November 2, 2013)

Until seeing this production—stunning in every respect, including the singer of the title role—I had almost forgotten how irresistibly beautiful Salome is. First priority for the bestowing of specific praise must be accorded to the Salome herself. Kelly Cae Hogan was utterly convincing, painting a terrifying picture of how an apparently unremarkable young princess can be unhinged and plunged into depravity by the onset of a sexual obsession. And she unfolded a voice of thrilling quality, as clear as it was warm, and able to ride seemingly effortlessly over even the most massive orchestral tuttis. Seen and Heard International (Bernard Jacobson – November 19, 2013)

As Blanche in Streetcar Named Desire (by Andre Previn)

Soprano Kelly Cae Hogan, who carries the opera’s heaviest vocal load as Blanche, the increasingly demented and faux-gentile fragile Mississippi flower, carried it beautifully and indefatigably. Her voice has a body that carried easily over Previn’s sometimes full-blown score and, with excellent diction and just a minimum of vibrato, she was able to shade her lines with deftly colored nuance. The Washington Post

The three leads act as well as they sing, and that’s excellent indeed. Soprano Kelly Cae Hogan’s Blanche is heart-wrenching and infuriating in just the right measure. She brings a special poignancy to her revelation that her thoughtlessness led to the suicide of her young husband long ago. Richmond Times-Dispatch

Kelly Cae Hogan has two lovely arias to sing as Blanche and handles both admirably. Her assignment is daunting in that she must suggest gradual disintegration. For the most part, she achieves it, avoiding the trap of coming on with too much madness from the first. Virginia Pilot-Online

Hogan is in consistently strong voice as Blanche, a role that requires as much stamina as Tosca, and conveys her character’s emotional disintegration with great cumulative impact. Instant Encore’s Classical Music Buzz

As Brünnhilde in Die Walküre (Opera North)

Musically the performance was nothing less than a sensation from the first… The cast is uniformly strong with Kelly Cae Hogan, the substitute Brunnhilde, giving an account of her role of a calibre that I had given up hope of ever hearing again… The Spectator (Michael Tanner – June 30, 2012)

American soprano Kelly Cae Hogan, had flown in (from Berlin [sic]) just hours before the performance. She’s a marvel – vocally impressive, impetuous and possessing just enough vulnerability. Her dynamic range is huge, and she looks the part. Her extended scenes with Béla Perencz’s Wotan are electrifying; you’d never guess that the two singers had only just met. The Arts Desk (online – June 17, 2012)

There is no doubt that Hogan’s performance was exhilarating. From her first entrance she embodied the strength, defiance and wisdom of Brünnhilde with an implausible ease. Clearly a stage animal… Hogan’s balmy, and on occasion fiery, timbre soared through the hall from the floorboards to the rafters. Opera Britannia (June 18, 2012)

An equally tense drama must have been playing out in Opera North’s offices on Saturday morning, when Annalena Persson was forced by illness to pull out of the role of Brünnhilde. Where to find a replacement soprano for this huge role at such short notice? American soprano Kelly Cae Hogan was flown in from Germany, and despite the fact that she had had almost no rehearsal, and was singing from a score, she gave an unforgettable performance. Her first war-cry entry, her arm raised high, was thrillingly demented, and absolutely secure and confident, a statement that if she was going to sing Brünnhilde at the last minute, she was going to do it properly, and with style. Her singing was incredibly exciting to listen to, and carried easily to the back of the hall, even when she was lying on the floor, propped on her elbows…. Overall, this was a great performance all round, but Kelly Cae Hogan stole the show. If this is how she sings Brünnhilde when standing in at the last minute, she is a truly impressive singer, and I would love to hear her again. She fully deserved the rapturous applause. BachTrack (Jane Shuttleworth – online – June 18, 2012)

Kelly Cae Hogan, who had arrived from Germany only hours before the performance was to all intents unrehearsed. No matter, because she was terrific: confident, committed, clarion-voiced. The Telegraph (June 21, 2012)

Hogan was excellent: not only in confident voice, but emotionally and dramatically convincing. WhatsOnStage.com (June 19, 2012)

As Elisabeth in Tannhäuser

Kelly Cae Hogan was convincing as Elisabeth from the first moment on with clear, rich timbre full of power and purity. Schweriner Volkszeitung March, 2012

Also impressive was Kelly Cae Hogan as Elisabeth, whose voluptuous soprano voice has already outgrown the dimensions of this house. The artist from Iowa, who will be singing Gerhilde/Walküre at the Met this spring, must be considered the vocal ‘figurehead’ of the performance, who in spite of all of her vocal strength managed to find the warmest and gentlest of tones, which repeatedly moved the heart. Opernglas March, 2012

Kelly Cae Hogan shines as Elisabeth, with beautiful, full timbre and crystal-clear top notes. In contrast to her resoundingly dramatic “Dich teure Halle” aria, the third act prayer captivates by inspiring intimacy with a wonderful pianissimo. Opernnetz April 22, 2012

Kelly Cae Hogan has a strong stage presence as Elisabeth and after being initially somewhat pointed, the voice rounded into a lush soprano sound. HNA (Kassel) April 29, 2013

The American soprano Kelly Cae Hogan, who shone in the season’s premiere as Leonore in Fidelio, sings Elisabeth. Her vocal size is impressively large, and theatrically she is absolutely convincing. Göttinger Tageblatt May 2, 2013

As Fidelio/Leonora in Fidelio

Kelly Cae Hogan’s sensuous feminine soprano timbre is pleasant and has alot of substance and vocal charisma. She designs her role for this production not only through acting, but also vocal implementation. Online Music Magazine April 30, 2013

The American soprano Kelly Cae Hogan, who shone in the season’s premiere as Leonore in Fidelio, sings Elisabeth. Her vocal size is impressively large, and theatrically she is absolutely convincing. Göttinger Tageblatt May 2, 2013

Above all was Kelly Cae Hogan’s glorious embodiment of the double figure of Fidelio/Leonore. Fantastic, how her voice and acting were powerful and confident, but at the same time nuanced. And in the big moment, the recitative and aria “Abscheulicher, wo eilst du hin,” Hogan makes Leonore radiate with increasing certitude, with fine accompanying palpitations from the orchestra pit. HNA – Hessisches Allgemein September, 2012

Soprano Kelly Cae Hogan, who in New York sings Gerhilde in Wagner’s Die Walküre at the Met, is a remarkably strong-voiced singer with much core and no sharpness in the voice to diminish her massive sound. Göttinger Tageblatt September 26, 2012

As Brünnhilde in Die Walküre (Virginia Opera)

Better still, as Brünnhilde, soprano Kelly Cae Hogan was a revelation, handling her magnificent, quintessentially Wagnerian part with great power and assurance in a performance that at times was viscerally exciting. Her tragic interplay with Wotan in the opera’s concluding moments was as emotionally moving as any performance of this opera we’ve seen, and not a few hankies were produced—a real rarity in Wagner, at least in this country. The Washington Times

Kelly Cae Hogan (as Brünnhilde) can belt it out with the best of them. The Virginian-Pilot

Kelly Cae Hogan, a Gerhilde at the Met, took on the challenges of Brünnhilde bravely and vibrantly. The soprano’s somewhat light tone had an exceptionally warm quality that held firm throughout the registers, regardless of volume. There was no forcing, no evident laboring. The music poured out beautifully and meaningfully in the 2,000-seat hall. Opera News

…the axis of the opera was definitely tilted in favor of Wotan’s complex relationship with Brünnhilde. Here, Kelly Cae Hogan showed remarkable dramatic ability, not to mention considerable vocal gifts. Her voice is powerful and attractive, and her acting ability was also considerable, conveying a feminine sensibility under her breastplate. The Berkshire Review

Brünnhilde, played by Kelly Cae Hogan steals the show. With a voice that raises the hairs on your neck, Hogan executes an amazing performance. Insider’s Passport

As Die Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier

Kelly Cae Hogan brilliant in new Rosenkavalier. (Her Marschallin) is entirely the elegant, demi-monde Grande Dame, who presents vocally both brilliant clarity and the height of blossoming earthy-colored accents to the chatty libretto. Weser Kurier

A pair with important, beautifully produced singing voices and believable stage presence, this playful and tightly-woven team (Hogan and Stefanoff) has real star quality. Die Welt

As TOSCA

Highlight was North American soprano Kelly Cae Hogan as Floria Tosca who, with her beloved “Vissi d’arte” and other beautiful and difficult music, carried the evening. Act II is memorable, and Hogan handles a gamut of emotions. This is a role that few sopranos can do and she carried it off. It was, of course, Tosca’s opera, and Hogan handled it with confidence, aplomb and beautiful singing. Puerto Rico Daily Sun

There was no power shortage for Kelly Cae Hogan (Tosca). Vocally Hogan and Lambrinos (Scarpia) ignited sparks with their sparring. Hogan also dug significantly into her soul in ‘Vissi d’arte.’ Newark Star Ledger

Soprano Kelly Cae Hogan enthralling as Tosca. She has a beautiful voice: big, richly resonant, with great range and elegant tone quality. And she knows how to modulate it to reflect the meaning of the music she is singing…’Vissi d’arte’ was powerful, beautiful, and heart-rending. Her stage persona is magnetic. From her first entrance she was Floria Tosca Asbury Park Press

Kelly Cae Hogan exhibited a clear, dark timbre in the middle and lower registers that rose with focused intensity to a rich, full high C. Hogan is a deeply resourceful artist who used her dramatic vocal gifts wisely, allowing the phrases to rise and fall in beautiful, expressive arches. The News, Port St. Lucie, Florida

As Senta in Der fliegende Holländer

Kelly Cae Hogan fascinates in the role of Senta; with unbelievable vocal power her clear soprano increasingly astounds with impeccable high notes through the end of the opera. Schweriner Volkszeitung

Outstanding in this production is actress Kelly Cae Hogan as Senta. She portrays a suffering and also triumphant Senta, with a large voice that demands attention, made all the more believable for being genuine. Lübecker Nachtrichten

As Norma

Kelly Cae Hogan masters the dreaded title part (of which Lilli Lehmann once said, “it is easier to sing all three Brünnhildes, one after the other, than to sing one Norma”) at an exceptionally high level. Her dramatic soprano is the center of the performance, a shining demonstration of technical spotlessness. Nordsee-Zeitung

In Bremen a fresh voice of the after-Callas generation was discovered on the stage

in Kelly Cae Hogan, who from the first, impressed with technical sovereignty that was admirable to the end. Relying on the cushion of a secure middle voice, neither the extreme coloratura passages nor the highest reaches gave her the smallest difficulty. In addition, her emotional expression had much to offer, she made the part deeply her own. She gives the role, not an exhibitionist drama as Callas did, but rather a more reserved interpretation that was hugely successful. Weser Kurier

The Bremen Theater has achieved in the casting of the title part a lucky catch: Kelly Cae Hogan who has already aroused enthusiasm as Salome, is a first-class Norma. She does justice to the part at every moment: drawing a portrait full of emotion, authority, lust for revenge, and surrender. Her voice is more plush and warm than those of her famous predecessors in the role. This makes her scruples in hesitating to kill the children even more plausible. But in her decision to exercise her revenge, she is quite a domineering priestess. Hogan’s soprano combines lyricism and steel-like penetrating power ideally (especially in the final scene). Nordwest-Zeitung

Hogan possesses all the beauty and fire that make a great Norma, and from first to last she commanded the stage in what will be remembered as one of the year’s finest performances. Newark Star Ledger

As Turandot

From her first entrance as Turandot, at the very back of the spacious, multi-level stage, Kelly Cae Hogan impressed with a vocal power which did not decrease, even as she sang the subsequent riddle-scene lying flat on her belly. Still the American soprano unveiled more vocally radiant power through the conclusion of the riddles, where she overtrumped not only Calaf, but also the combined orchestras and massive chorus. The debut of Kelly Cae Hogan was vocally outstanding and also extremely convincing.Kieler Nachrichten

As Salome

Metropolitan Opera soprano Hogan delivered a fetching and frightening Salome… the fickle seductiveness, the rage at rejection, and the self-centered insanity of a young girl, with the potency and subtlety of a mature and experienced vocalist. The closing soliloquy with the head of Jokanaan was breathtaking. Classical Voice of North Carolina

Kelly Cae Hogan gives Salome much nuance, her delivery soft, demanding, cajoling or powerful in her attack, always mindful of the text, she maintains through the end the reserves and expansiveness to deliver the ecstasy of the final monologue with bravura. Weser Kurier

The new season at Bremer Theater could not have started better. Richard Strauss’ lascivious, biblically erotic opera Salome provided a true storm of enthusiasm… The shining star is the New Yorker Kelly Cae Hogan as the innocently charming and conniving Salome, who with her beautiful soprano voice stirs and thrills. Bild

Kelly Cae Hogan has the vocal capacity to express this tremendous music with almost unearthly beautiful sounds. With controlled ecstasy this outstanding Salome is able to master the precipices of her role and shapes Strauss-typical endless phrases. Kreiszeitung

In an outstanding portrayal, Kelly Cae Hogan sang Salome with the Isolde-voice demanded by Strauss, mastering the murderous requirements with a vocal thrust that never tires. Die Welt

Kelly Cae Hogan had all the physical requirements and a voice strong enough for the many climactic moments. She was fully committed to the character, from the dance’s coy unveillings to the erotic kissing of Jokanaan’s frighteningly realistic bloody head. The News & Observer (Raleigh-Durham)

Commanding performance by Hogan in the title role (Salome). Hogan played the young girl almost as an ingenue, singing potently but without the withering, too-mature-for-her-age venom that many sopranos put into the role. Hogan combined passion, rage, rejection and incipient madness — and did it all with remarkable subtlety. The Kansas City Star

Physically and vocally, Hogan’s Salome was a woman whose all-eclipsing embrace of beauty left her unmoored from ethics, from sanity, on a voyage beyond all notions of good, evil, right or wrong. Independent Weekly (Raleigh-Durham)

As Gerhilde in Die Walküre

When Gerhilde started to sing, I turned to the friend next to me and said, “Who’s that?” She was the soprano Kelly Cae Hogan, making her Met debut. We must hear more of her. New York SunAudio excerptGerhilde excerpt
Kelly Cae Hogan, a singer new to me, was first off the mark among the valkyries, and one wished her war-cry, clear and focused and bright, had somehow been substituted for Gasteen’s cautious one. Opera Today (1/20/08)

To their credit, the other Valkyries, starting with Kelly Cae Hogan’s Gerhilde, were very well sung. The Washington Post
Her sister Valkyries sounded fresh and robust and along with Kaufmann and Blythe, they were the vocal highlights of the production. The Star Ledger

As Abigaille in Nabucco

Impressive how Kelly Hogan assayed the dizzying heights and treacherous depths of the murderous role of Abigaille in Verdi’s Nabucco with radiant bravura and vocal precision, employing her dramatic soprano with great ease. Weser Kurier (Bremen, Germany)